How to Change Kitchen Taps

A kitchen is the hub of the home. You start the day preparing breakfast there and finish by cleaning up after dinner or having a drink before bed. One of the most heavily used features of the kitchen is the sink and more specifically the tap. All the wear and tear on the tap hardware means you will most likely need to replace it at least once. You can easily do it yourself, without calling in a professional.

Skill level:

Moderately Easy

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Things you need

Bucket

Basin wrench

New tap

Plumber's putty

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Instructions

1

Turn off the cold and the hot water supplies underneath the sink and place a small bucket beneath the basin, under the tap.

2

Remove the retaining nuts holding the old tap in place with a basin wrench. There will be one to remove from each part of the tap, including the faucet and the handles.

3

Disconnect the water lines running to the tap. These will need to be removed with the basin wrench as well. Any water in the pipes will come out now and fall into the bucket.

4

Lift the tap out of its socket on top of the basin of the kitchen sink.

5

Apply plumber's putty around the edge of the old tap's footprint. Press the gasket that is included with your new tap into the putty.

6

Insert the new tap into the sockets over the gasket.

7

Secure the faucet with the retaining hardware included with it.

8

Hook the tap up to the water with the basin wrench. Connect the water lines to the water inputs on the new tap. These are located on the underside of each handle.

9

Turn the water supplies back on.

Tips and warnings

Use a portable work light if the underside of the sink can't be seen.

Make sure the water supply valves are turned tightly to avoid accidentally turning the water on by leaning on them.